Hello everyone who is learning Japanese! Today I want to tell you the usage of "以上（いじょう）" . The word seems very simple. In fact, there are many uses and some"traps". Let's take a look!
Above/More than
First of all, "以上" can be followed by a word indicating quantity, which means "...above", such as:
- 荷物が10箱以上あるのでなるべく安い料金で送りたい。Because there are more than ten cases of luggage, I want to send it as cheaply as possible.
- 4歳以上15歳以下のお子様は大人の半額になります。Children from 4 to 15 years old pay half the adult price.
This meaning looks the same as Chinese, but it is not. I want to test everyone, does the range mentioned in "以上" include the number before it? For example, "20歳以上はお酒を飲んでいい" (people over 20 years old can drink), then does the people who can drink include people who are 20 years old?
The answer is yes! Everyone should remember that the Japanese words "以上" and "以下 (いか)" both include the number before it. So if you don’t include the previous number, you can use "～超える" or "みまん" (not reached). Everyone can see the picture below.
Exceed
In addition, "above" also has an abstract meaning, which means to exceed or exceed a certain range or limit. such as:
- 学校にはいやなやつもいたが、好きな友達がそれ以上いた。Although there are many guys I hate in school, there are more "friends I like" than people I hate.
- 少し予定を変えることによって、自分が想像していた以上の素晴らしい旅になる可能性が出てくる。 Change the plan a bit. May make your own trip more exciting than originally thought. (Beyond imagination)
As mentioned above
In addition, we will notice that Japanese people often say "以上です" at the end of their speeches. Then the "above" here means that I have finished speaking. For example, at the end of the speech, you can say:
- 私の発言は以上です。ご清聴（せいちょう）ありがとうございます。That's all for my speech, thank you for listening.
Since
学生である以上、試験を受けなければならない。Since you are a student, you must take an exam.
給料をもらっている以上、言いつけられたとおりに仕事をするしかない。Since you are paid, you must work as instructed.
もうこうなった以上、諦めるしかないね。Now that this is the case, I have to give up.